26. Emilio
My heart hurts as the Voices leave, following in Tennant’s wake. It leaves just the three of us on the Council. I exhale as I clench my hands into fists, enjoying the burst of pain that comes from my fingernails digging into my skin. Fuck. I need a pain session soon or I’m going to spiral.
“I can’t believe we didn’t know it was that bad,” I say softly. Both Carter and Roman flinch at my words, but they’re bitter to swallow. “This is a problem.”
“All we can do is try to fix it, Amore Mio.” Roman rubs at his temples, and I reach out to rub his shoulder, while keeping a wary eye on Carter, especially after hearing him smack Tennant down for flirting with Roman.
Carter stands up and starts to pace. I consider joining him, just because I need to get rid of this pent up energy somehow. Yet, he suddenly stops and stares at us, the weight of his gaze making me flinch.
“We are doing something new. With that, there will always be growing pains. Is it unfortunate that this happened? Absolutely. But this gives us an opportunity to address it and make sure nothing like this occurs in the future.”
I purse my lips, considering his thoughts.
I certainly agree…but fuck, there are consequences in life.
And as Bosses, we’re responsible for meting those out, even when it’s difficult…
or maybe especially then. Master didn’t flinch from punishments, and while we’re taking a different approach, I know how much he struggled with doing it at times.
It appears that even if our actions seem more humane, the weight of the responsibility is not any easier to carry.
“While that’s true,” I say carefully, “it does not excuse Leandro’s or Jude’s inaction.”
Roman makes a noise of protest. “I agree with Leandro, but Jude can’t be faulted for this. He has too much to do, and that’s on us. Plus, he wouldn’t be cruel on purpose. He said it didn’t get out of hand, so we don’t know what Tennant is reacting to—that may be more recent.”
Biting back my own impatience, I turn toward my love, the man who carries part of my heart with him.
“Being busy is not an excuse. He knew there was a problem and he didn’t speak up.
I’m not saying he had to step in and solve it, but taking five seconds to let us know that it was happening?
That was certainly within his capability.
“And lest any of us forget, these two men were being actively bullied when they were emotionally vulnerable. Hell, Allesandro was on suicide watch, which Jude knew from Javi’s reports.
Yet he felt that this wasn’t an important topic to raise to us?
What would have happened if the bullying pushed either Allesandro or Cristian over the edge? That blood would be on our hands.”
I wince at Carter’s distressed sound. Fuck. I forgot to be sensitive to his needs, and judging by the paleness on Roman’s face, I’m fucking this all up. Feelings. They’re a pain in the fucking ass.
“Still, there’s no way Jude would do anything to deliberately cause harm. He was bullied by his family growing up,” Roman protests, his beautiful eyes beseeching me to understand his lover. Yet as much as I’d love to give in to him, I simply can’t.
“No, Roman. If anything, that should have made him more sensitive to the issue. It would have taken him five seconds to let us know. That’s all we needed.
I agree, the Voices are overworked. And I have ideas to fix that as well.
” Switching my attention to Carter, I say, “And I’m sorry, but those were not the orders given.
We didn’t say, ‘Yes, bully these two people.’ We said that Tennant needed to clear them before we could fully integrate them.
To provide some level of oversight. And that was not told to anyone outside of the immediate Family.
“The staff or guards should never have even heard about it. This is a significant issue. They’re taking cues from us without understanding the full situation. That is also on us. We were not transparent, but this was not in the orders at all.”
Sighing, Carter pinches the bridge of his nose, tiredness emanating from him strongly. I hate to bring strife to our Council, but I can’t rest while there’s bullying. I hesitate, knowing this will be more controversial, but fuck it. I need to get it out there.
“I think it goes even deeper than this. To be honest, we already know Hollis had a major issue with Allesandro that was causing him to be isolated. That seems to have been taken care of now, and they’re actively working on it.
But…Jude has made comments about Allesandro as well.
And that does rub off on people. I’m glad he’s going to apologize, and hopefully they can find common ground together. ”
I bite off the rest of my statement, not wanting to vocalize it. Thankfully, I don’t have to because Carter follows my sentiments flawlessly. Even though I can tell it pains him.
“But we, as leaders, need to show that we’re completely accepting of them.” Carter inclines his head toward me. “I think that’s a very valid point.”
Roman sighs, but nods. “I…I think Connor is right too about me maybe having some sessions with…”
At Roman’s visible hesitation, Carter slides in flawlessly. “I believe I should also join you. Despite how things ended, Cristian and I will always be your parents. And we need to rebuild our family.”
Biting his lip, Roman asks quietly, “Will you…?”
Carter’s eyes soften immediately as he nods. “Of course. I’ll talk to your dad about it and get everything arranged. We will handle this together.”
“Good,” I say briskly. “Then that leaves us with the following things. One, how to reintroduce both previous Bosses as members of the family. I feel that we need to have an official position for them, or it’ll still be difficult for them to integrate.
Perhaps we should hold a discussion with them directly to see where their interests lie?
“And the other issue is the overwhelming need for additional support. Quite honestly, we have too much for just two Voices to do. In my opinion, we need to have a third. In addition, even with that, the Voices need support staff.”
“You want to give the Voices PAs?” Carter’s strangled voice is almost too much, but I shrug.
“Yes. They clearly need the help. We have essentially three families that came together. That’s a lot to put on us. And, honestly, our tech division needs it too.”
“Uhhhh, for safety, I’m not sure Leandro should be given a PA.” Roman’s eyes widen in shock, and slight panic.
“And that’s his punishment. He’ll not only have a PA, but the money will come out of his paycheck for one year. After that, we’ll absorb the cost into our regular budget.”
“Fuck,” my love mutters as he tugs at his hair, but I tilt my chin defiantly, unwilling to budge on this. If anything, Leandro needs the oversight of a PA. “And what would Jude’s punishment be?”
“I think, for him, in addition to offering his apologies, he needs to have a bonding session with them. I don’t care what it is, but he needs to spend time with them, both individually and together.
Not only because this will show everyone that we’re united, but also because he obviously needs to see the effects this bullying has had on Cristian and Allesandro.
I’m not expecting him to be best friends with either, but there needs to be unity. We cannot afford to be divided.”
“Alright,” Carter says slowly as he drops into a chair. “Who are you thinking for the third Voice?”
“Honestly? My vote would come down to either Tennant or Marcus. However, given that you and Keegan are already serving high positions that demand your time, I don’t think giving Marcus the position works with you having Cole. His strategy insights are invaluable, but can be pulled on as necessary.”
“But you saw how argumentative Tennant was,” Roman snaps, scowling at me, but I meet his eyes steadily.
“And that’s why I want him. I want someone who will push back on us. We need that. It’s too easy to get siloed. We need people who will challenge us, and honestly, I trust Tennant to do that.”
Carter drops his head back, looking up at the ceiling as if trying to find patience—good luck—but the problem remains. We need someone strong, someone who will not allow us to take the easy route. Tennant’s creativity, and willingness to call us out, means something to me.
Straightening, Carter says, “And how would we even find these mythical PAs? I can’t imagine there's many people willing to act as support staff to the mafia.”
“Javi,” I retort. Shrugging, as it’s the only solution I can think of at the moment. “He has far more reach than we do. He knows a wide range of people. Between him and possibly Sarah, they may know of some people. But I know it’s not going to be easy. That is why we need to start the search now.”
“The serial killer psychopath. That’s who you want to put in charge of recruitment?” Carter’s voice rises at the end, disbelief etched on his face.
“Yep. The man who built an empire of mental health services for members of the mafia. The one who has successfully managed to get most of us to see those therapists, despite our reluctance. If he can manage that…”
“I hate that you have a point.” Roman’s expression is pinched, even though I know he likes Javi to some degree. If anything, they’ve bonded over cats.
Drumming my fingers on the table, I press forward, “And not only that, it gives him a distraction, which he needs right now. We all know how it feels to lose someone, but he’s lost two. There’s no harm in letting him at least try.”
Carter shakes his head. “I have a feeling you're underestimating that possibility, but I’m willing to let him try. Let’s take a break and think about the rest. I believe you have valid points, but I don’t want us to rush a decision about the third Voice.”
“Completely understandable. I don’t want another Benjamin situation.” Sadness hits me, but thankfully, it’s replaced quickly when Roman leans into me.